LOS ANGELES — Joe the Plumber, a conservative star in the 2008 presidential campaign after confronting then-candidate Barack Obama, has been elected to a Republican Party post in Ohio.
Samuel Wurzelbacher was elected Tuesday as a committeeman, one of 400 who oversee the GOP in northwestern Ohio’s Lucas County.
On Oct. 12, 2008, Obama toured Wurzelbacher’s neighborhood. Wurzelbacher, who wanted to open a small plumbing business, questioned Obama about the Democrat’s tax plan and whether it would destroy the American dream.
Obama said taxes would be going up, adding, “It’s not that I want to punish your success. I just want to make sure that everybody who is behind you, that they’ve got a chance at success too.” Most notably, he told Wurzelbacher, “I think that when you spread the wealth around, it’s good for everybody.” Such comments spurred Republicans to call Obama a socialist.
